U.S. WNT To Face France on June 14 in Tampa, Florida, and June 19 in East Hartford, Connecticut

NewsMay 5, 2014

WNT Returns to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on June 14 to Face France for First Time Since 2012 Olympics; June 19 Rematch at Rentschler Field Marks Fifth WNT Visit to East Hartford, Connecticut

CHICAGO (May 5, 2014) – The U.S. Women’s National Team will face France in a pair of summer friendlies on June 14 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and June 19 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

Both matches kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ussoccer.com. Fans can also follow both games on Twitter @ussoccer_wnt.

Tickets for both games go on sale to the public Friday, May 9, at 10 a.m. ET through ussoccer.com. For the match in Tampa, tickets can also be purchased by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Tampa Bay region (including Walmart).

For the event in Connecticut, tickets can also be purchased by phone at 1-877-522-8499 (8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET only) and at the XL Center ticket office starting Monday, May 12 (open Monday-Friday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.) [Note: Tickets are not sold at either Raymond James Stadium or Rentschler Field except on the day of the event.]

For both games, groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages that include a premium ticket, a custom-made official U.S. National Team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.

As a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, Visa is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to an advance ticket sale for both matches before the sale to the general public. This advance sale starts Thursday, May 8, at 10 a.m. ET and runs until Friday, May 9, at 8 a.m. at ussoccer.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer. Terms and conditions apply.

The U.S. and France have not met since the opening match of the 2012 Olympics, when the USA overcame a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2 on its way to winning the gold medal.

France, which is fourth in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, is widely hailed as one of the most talented women’s soccer countries and features some of the world’s best players at their positions. The squad is made up primarily of players from two of top women’s clubs in Europe, Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain. France was expected to contend for the title at last summer’s UEFA Women’s Championships but was upset on penalty kicks in the quarterfinal round by Denmark despite dominating the match.

The U.S. Women do not have an extensive history against France, having played just 14 times and only twice since 2006. The two most recent encounters, however, were both epic matches in world championships. The USA defeated France 3-1 on July 13, 2011, in the FIFA Women’s World Cup semifinal in Monchengladbach, Germany. The U.S. also won the Olympic curtain raiser 4-2 on July 25, 2012, in Glasgow, Scotland, as Alex Morgan scored twice, while Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd contributed a goal each.

Additional Notes:

The USA is 13-0-1 all-time against France.

France is off to a fine start in its 2015 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign, having won all four Group 7 matches to date by a 31-1 margin.

The U.S. WNT has made one previous appearance at Raymond James Stadium, defeating the Korea Republic 1-0 on Nov. 8, 2008, during the USA’s post-Olympic tour.

This will be the USA’s sixth appearance in Tampa, having also played three matches at Pepin/Rood Stadium in the 1990s and one at the old Tampa Stadium in 1996.

The U.S. has played eight previous matches in Connecticut and hold a 5-2-1 overall record when playing in the Nutmeg state. Four of those matches have come at Rentschler Field where the team holds an undefeated 3-0-1 all-time record

The largest crowd to attend a Women’s National Team game in Connecticut turned up at Rentschler Field in Oct. 2012, as 18,870 saw the U.S. tie Germany 2-2.